Blogs & Ecology

pic: greenpeaceOr "Why Eating GM could lower your fertility!", as reported by the Mail Online article.

In a long-term feeding trial commissioned by the Austrian government and published last week, mice fed on GM corn (maize) were found to have fewer offspring and lower birth rates.

Professor Dr Jurgen Zentek, Professor for Veterinary Medicine at the University of Vienna and lead author of the study, said a GM diet effected the fertility of mice.

Whilst many have scoffed at organic farming as little more than a Western lifestyle fad, a major UN study, released yesterday, shows that these traditional practices can break the hunger cycle.

An analysis of 114 projects in 24 African countries found that yields had more than doubled where organic, or near-organic practices had been used. That increase in yield jumped to 128 per cent in east Africa.

Perhaps it’s not immediately obvious when combing the average abundant supermarket shelf for food that there is a world-wide food crisis on – we blogged about it here, here and here - but there is a food production crisis in South Africa that Farmer’s Weekly editor Chris Burgess likens to a ‘national emergency’.

The Department of Trade and Industry has handed down a ruling for mandatory labelling of genetically modified foods in South Africa.

From now on, you have a choice as to whether or not you want to buy GM, but better still, you will actually know which foods contain GM.

The ruling came after a clause about labelling, which had been removed from the draft Consumer Protection bill last year, was reinstated. SAFeAGE has been lobbying for two years to have this clause reinstated; one that gives shoppers the right to choose once the Bill is implemented.

Eating for the sake of your body and the planet doesn’t mean giving up on the foods you love. It does mean becoming more actively aware of where your food comes from, how it’s produced and how its production affects the Earth.

Fundamental to greening your diet is eating ‘real’ food. Processed and refined foods are, let’s face it, not good for you. Most of them are produced as part of the push by marketers to ‘make your life easier’ but they’re usually laden with chemicals, additives, pesticides, and barely disguised GM derivatives.

One of the so-called criticisms of petitioning or campaigning is that one invests "negetive energy" in opposing something unjust. I've heard some people comment that they would rather be pouring energy into initiatives that promote positive outcomes than always opposing, lobbying, campaigning and fighting against the status quo. I also know that some activists are prone to burn out because of the mindset that they have to adopt: it is hard work constantly having to oppose.

The Agricultural Research Council (ARC) has been conducting field trials for several years with a GM potato called Spunta G2, genetically engineered to kill a pest called the Tuber Moth. They have given notice that they will apply to the South African GMO Council for a general release permit in the next few days. This means they want to release the GM Potato to commercial farmers, which has the potential to wreak havoc with the local potato industry, and infringes on our basic human right to choose the food we want to eat.

Inspirational bike-sharing programme in Paris. Almost 1500 bike stations are spread around the city of Paris with over 20 000 bicycles and 3 million subscribers. They’ve saved roughly 10 million kilometres of car trips. Considering the rising price of petrol, this is something cities the world over should be considering. [treehugger] Other than walking, there is no more earth-friendly mode of transportation than a bicycle. Bikes have an incredibly low manufacturing footprint when compared to a motorized vehicle.

This is an important story we've been tracking for a while, the outcome of which has ramifications that extend throughout the public sector. In fact we thought it was game over when, in November last year, Biowatch was ordered to pay Monsanto's legal costs.

Biowatch announced yesterday that it would be lodging an application for leave to appeal with the Constitutional Court against the order to pay legal costs of Monsanto South Africa.

photo: picedit.blogspot.comIt's been a while since we've spoken out against GM food, so it was opportune that Katja from ABN recently sent us this brilliant article published on the Ecologist Online, detailing in condensed form all the short comings of Genetically Modified foods. Read the whole article by Mark Anslow, we've a (slightly) shorter version below.

In light of the news splashed across this week’s papers that the rise in food prices worldwide is forcing genetically modified foods onto the marketplace to cope with demand, one wonders why, exactly, GM foods are perceived to be so bad.

Image from gaymay

Look out for pro GM stories like this. An obvious threat to biotech multinationals like Monsanto is the organic movement that continues to sweep the world in direct opposition to the aggressive patent protected seed industry. So it isn’t unusual to see unremitting press in GM’s favour, but not in the vein of this latest article, which advocates that the future of food may depend on an unlikely marriage between organic farmers and genetic engineering (!).